Charts & Visualizations

Grouped Bar Chart

A chart that displays multiple bars for each category to compare different metrics or groups side by side.

Definition

A grouped bar chart (also known as a clustered bar chart) arranges multiple bars side by side within each category group, allowing direct comparison of different metrics or data series across categories. Each group of bars represents a category, with individual bars showing different measurements or variables within that category. This arrangement facilitates comparison both within categories (between different metrics) and across categories (the same metric across different groups).

Examples

Monthly comparison of sales, returns, and exchanges over a quarter, allowing direct comparison of all three metrics for each month

Chart Visualization

This example includes an interactive chart visualization with 4 data points.

Chart type: bar-grouped

Usage

Best Used For

  • Comparing multiple metrics or variables across categories
  • Showing data breakdowns by subgroups within main categories
  • Visualizing survey responses with multiple options or ratings
  • Tracking multiple KPIs over time periods or organizational units
  • Comparing performance across different segments or products
  • Displaying before/after or actual/target comparisons across categories

Data Requirements

[Object]

When to use this chart

Creative variant comparison

Data shape: Thumbstop / hold / ThruPlay by ad variant

Include impression volume in labels — small-sample variants mislead without context

Source: Kohavi, Tang & Xu, "Trustworthy Online Controlled Experiments" (2020)

Limitations

Important Considerations

  • ⚠Can become visually complex and difficult to interpret with too many groups (>4-5) or categories (>8-10)
  • ⚠Limited by space when using many bars per group, requiring wider chart area
  • ⚠May be harder to read precise values compared to single bars, especially with many groups
  • ⚠Color differentiation becomes challenging with many groups, requiring careful palette selection
  • ⚠Less effective at showing part-to-whole relationships than stacked bars

Best Used For

  • Comparing multiple metrics or variables across categories
  • Showing data breakdowns by subgroups within main categories
  • Visualizing survey responses with multiple options or ratings
  • Tracking multiple KPIs over time periods or organizational units
  • Comparing performance across different segments or products
  • Displaying before/after or actual/target comparisons across categories

Supplemental Resources

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Grouped Bar Chart, answered.

What is a grouped bar chart?
A grouped bar chart — also called a clustered bar chart — shows two categorical dimensions at once by placing a small cluster of bars within each main category, one bar per sub-category. For example, revenue by quarter (main) split by region (sub), with the region bars sitting side by side in each quarter. It lets readers compare sub-categories within a group and the same sub-category across groups.
When should I use a grouped bar chart instead of a stacked one?
Group when readers need to compare the sub-categories directly — because every bar shares the same zero baseline, side-by-side bars are easy to compare. Stack when the total of the sub-categories is the main point and the parts are secondary. In short: grouped emphasizes comparison between parts; stacked emphasizes the whole and composition.
How many groups and sub-categories can it handle?
Keep it small: roughly up to 3–4 sub-categories per group and a modest number of groups, or the clusters become a dense picket fence. Beyond that, comparisons get hard and colors blur. If you exceed it, consider small multiples (one mini bar chart per sub-category), a heat map, or a dot plot, all of which scale to more categories than clustered bars.
How should I order the bars in each group?
Keep the sub-category order identical in every group so readers can scan the same color in the same position across groups — consistency is what makes a grouped bar chart readable. Order the main groups by their natural sequence (time) or by total value (for ranking). Use a single consistent color per sub-category across all groups, mapped via the legend.
Grouped bar chart vs small multiples — which is clearer?
Grouped bars are compact and good when you have few sub-categories and want direct side-by-side comparison. Small multiples (a grid of separate mini charts, one per sub-category, on shared axes) scale to more categories and make within-series trends clearer, at the cost of more space. Choose grouped bars for tight comparison of a few series; choose small multiples when you have many series or care about each series' own pattern.

Related Terms

Stacked Bar Chart

Related term

charts, alternative

Horizontal Bar Chart

Related term

charts, similar

Featured in topic hubs

Explore this term in context — alongside the related metrics, calculators, and guides curated in these hubs.

Data Visualization